Just what the Tampa Bay Lightning did not need at this point. Another injury.
Goalie Ben Bishop had to exit Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings early in the first period after he appeared to injure his right leg.
It happened 12 minutes into the game when he kicked his right leg out in an effort to stop a Nick Jensen shot. It was an innocent looking play, but he appeared to be in immediate discomfort and eventually skated off to the locker room under his own power. He was replaced by backup Andrei Vasilevskiy.
The Lightning have yet to offer an update on the injury.
Bishop missed almost all of the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago due to a leg injury.
Injuries have been a huge issue for the Lightning this season and entered play on Tuesday without several of their top players, including Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat and Ryan Callahan.
The runner up for the Vezina Trophy a year ago, Bishop’s play has regressed a bit this season carrying a .906 save percentage into play on Tuesday night.
An unrestricted free agent after this season, his contract status, as well as the development of Vasilevskiy, has made him a frequent subject of trade rumors over the past few months.